Such weird weather we're having in New South Wales. Yesterday there were hailstones the size of fists (according to news reports), torrential rain, damage to jumbo jets....usually at this time we are sweltering from the heat

I'm thinking of a Christmas I had a couple of years back ~ I was staying with an email pal I'd met through our common interest in mendiants!!! ALWAYS about food! So here was I in South Carolina experiencing an American Christmas. Oh those cinnamon rolls...oh those non-stop cookies..oh the drinks...and jumpers/sweaters with the snow motifs that make sense...In Australia you will still see cutout snowmen and winter scenes...a throw back to the English connection.

That Christmas morning was the first time I'd had maple syrup, waffles, and bacon. My vegetarian daughter skipped the bacon!

It was a Christmas I'll never forget ~ nor will I forget those Americans I met in those few weeks...wondrous time! Hello Huntington Beach, Pawleys Island, Athens, Washington, New York!!! THE most joyous season I wish you all._________________"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2004 2:17 am Post subject:

I will trade places with you, or join you for your warm Christmas! I am freezing in this snow and 8F degree weather! Of course I could do without the hail._________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

...this dudette (moi!) looks hot...Erin, we have the airconditioning on, I'm sucking iceblocks, and loose cotton is the dress code...the sand at the beach near my father's place was so hot we couldn't walk on it...burning burning burning!!!

However. .NO MATTER THE TEMP ON THE DAY...THE PLUM PUDDING WILL BE HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_________________"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

I'm going to be missing the traditional, Italian, Christmas-Eve feast with all of my DeAnna relatives. I'm down here alone in Dixie (Alabama), so I'm going to have to come up with a "comfort" food to enjoy in exchange. I've got a couple of movies on DVD to watch. Now I have to plan the menu.

The traditional Italian feast I'm missing: ricotta cheese or chicken stuffed ravioli; black olives for the youngsters; fried fish -- usually tripe; more ravioli, more ravioli. (In fact, we ate so many ravioli, that we didn't want or need anything else except desert.

Wednesday, about 3pm & sure feels like wiinter here! Very Christmas-like, which we don't have very often. It sleeted earlier, it's snowing now, and the temp is below freezing. Supposed to be quite chilly tonight, about 18F. I'm making the Mexican stew for Christmas today. Brrr.

It is snowing, -6C, the roads are a mess but i don't care because I JUST FININSHED MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!!! All I have left to get are a few of the ingredients for the butternut soup!_________________Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2004 1:17 pm Post subject:

David, I am so excited you are making my soup! I am nervous though, I hope you like it!

Madame, I slipped on the ice again. This time I went a bit airborne and cracked my head. I just laid there a minute trying to regain my dignity, my dog staring at me. As I rose to my feet I saw that my dog was not the only one staring at me, there were a group of repair men working on the house across the street. Obviously no one taught them manners I thought to myself as I walked home. One more reason to come to Austrailia, no ice.
:shock: This is me._________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

Joined: 29 Sep 2004Posts: 1196Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia

Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2004 12:14 am Post subject:

I think you should all just move to Australia, no ice, no sub-zero temperatures, just heaps of sunshine, good weather and great food and wine.

Even when it's winter here, madame and I won't be complaining (too much!) about the dreadful weather ..... 'cos it's not that bad. In South Australia we get most of our rain in winter which can be a bit trying, but we're still the dryest state in the dryest continent so we don't really get much rain annually anyway.

Erin, take care on that ice, David, be careful in the snow and please everyone